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Winner of the BizBash Entertainment Act of the Year, voted 2014-2021 Best Band by Better Magazine, and acknowledged by Chicago Magazine as the “Top Choice” for a dance band in the city, the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra has ignited thousands of special events with its unique style, stage presence and contemporary music selection. The Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra delivers an incredible energy geared for today’s brides and grooms! Imagine a band with 6 incredible vocalists, our Sirens rock violins, sizzling horns, and the tightest rhythm section in the country. Using the latest technology, this band is able to perform from any part of the room and make it sound like a live concert of the original artist.
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Ken Arlen
As a sought-after orchestra leader and saxophonist, Ken Arlen has been a featured entertainer for numerous celebrities and dignitaries, from the President of the United States to Hollywood stars. Ken is also the founder of Arlen Music Productions, a Chicago-based entertainment company that specializes in providing live customized music for special events. He has led the transformation of the impact of music on this industry in Chicago, and over the last decade has brought this force to the national event scene through his performances with the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra.
Lloyd Snyder
Known as one of the most talented guitarists in Chicago, Lloyd has been key in leading special event bands over the last 6 years with great energy and attention to detail for his clients. Locally, he has performed with Girl Next Door, Green 14, Rendition, Hello Nuvo, and Hey Jimmy. He has also shared the stage with major artists such as Blues Traveler and Nate Ruess. As one of the great young front men in Chicago today, Lloyd’s style is inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Mayer, among other great virtuosos. Lloyd has already made a huge impact on Evolution, and we are excited to promote him to co-leader with Evolution beginning in 2019.
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Arlen Music Honors Couples with Virtual Surprise
We know how heartbreaking it has been for our clients to postpone their wedding date. A few months ago, Dan Nicholson from Indigo surprised a bride and groom with a virtual first dance on their original date, and the rest of our bandleaders followed suit!
We're excited to present a featured article from PartySlate with links to all of our band's special performances. We can't wait for you to hear them live!
5-Peat for Best Band!
Thanks to you, our loyal fans, we won the title of 'Best Band' from Better (Formerly Make It Better) for the fifth year in a row!
Arlen Music Featured in Candid Candace Blog
Thanks to Candid Candace for her write up of the Peninsula Chicago's new event space: Millennium Park. We were proud to provide our acoustic guitar duo, Double Fret, for the opening party!
Spotlight on Evolution's Fundraisers
Here's a great article on how live entertainment can help reach fundraising goals!
Ken Arlen Featured in Modern Luxury's Power Players
Learn more about Ken Arlen in a Q&A from Modern Luxury!
Authority Magazine Interviews Ken Arlen!
In a wide-ranging interview, Ken Arlen talks about his mindset as a musician and business owner, the history and future of Arlen Music Productions, and offers some funny anecdotes along the way!
Ken Arlen in Modern Luxury!
Ken was selected as one of the "Top 5: Live The Good Life" participants in Modern Luxury!
Evolution Performs at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Opening Event
We were lucky to be called upon to provide the entertainment for the Ritz-Calrton Revitalization Grand Opening Event in September!
Back-to-Back DiMatteo Weddings
We're so honored that both DiMatteo sisters chose us for their beautiful weddings at the Four Seasons!
Evolution Performs for the 40th Annual Lincoln Park Zoo Ball
Congrats to the Lincoln Park Zoo for raising 1.4M for its new visitor center!
Make It Better Best Band 4-Peat!
We're so proud to have won Make It Better's Best Band for the foruth year in a row!
Inside Weddings Feature
Check out the beautiful write-up in Inside Weddings for Susie and Joseph's Wedding!
Bear Tie Ball
Thanks to Candid Candace for her review of the Bear Tie Ball on February 28, 2015. Check out her write-up in the Chicago Tribune!
Quentin Tarantino and Al Pacino at the Bellagio!
We were so fortunate to entertain Hollywood stars Quentin Tarantino and Al Pacino at our annual performance at the Bellagio for NYE!
Make It Better Feature
The Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra has been featured on Make It Better! Click on the image below for more!
Scene & Heard
The Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra and Sirens were featured in Chicago Splash Magainze for their contribution to the 2014 Children's Ball!
Bravo TV Star gets hitched!
Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra performs for Bravo TV Star Chad Carroll (Million Dollar Listing Miami) and his wife Jen Stone! - Click images for more!
Ken Arlen Performs at the Commander-in-Chief Ball
Click on the image above to read about the Ken Arlen Orchestra's performance at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball in Washington DC.
Testimonials
Rita Hayworth Gala (Alzheimer's Association) - Saturday, May 12, 2018
Ken, thanks so much for another fantastic Rita Hayworth Gala performance. I don’t think we could have fit one more person on the dance floor – it was packed until the very last dance! Everyone had a great time and your music was wonderful in every way. Thank you for everything you did to pull out all the stops. As always, we really enjoyed working with you.
With heartfelt applause,
Bravo Greater Des Moines Gala - Saturday, February 3, 2018
Dear Ken,
I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for making the 2018 Bravo Gala yet another night to remember for us here in Des Moines. Best part for me in my role as Board President was the opportunity to get to know you better through the event. Rest assured that those of us involved with the Gala know that you and your team are a big reason why people keep coming back on a sold out basis year after year.
Bravo Greater Des Moines Gala - February 3, 2018
Dear Ken,
I am more convinced than ever that the Bravo Gala is successful only because of Ken Arlen and the Evolution Orchestra. Your team was brilliant!
Rita Hayworth Gala (Hilton Chicago) – 5/13/2017
Ken--many thanks for doing an amazing job on Saturday night! The dance floor was packed and our guests loved the music!
You were wonderful to partner with and I appreciate all that you did.
Many thanks,
UNICEF Hope Gala (The Geraghty) – 4/29/2017
What can we say – you hit it out of the park again! Our guests are raving about what a wonderful job you and the entire orchestra did at our Hope Gala. Thank you for rolling with our special requests and handling them wonderfully. We really appreciate your partnership!
Elizabeth and Meghan with UNICEF USAUNICEF Hope Gala (The Geraghty) – 4/9/2016
Ken, I just wanted to thank you for playing a part in an incredible night on Saturday at our UNICEF Hope Gala! We had such an amazing event, and feedback from our guests has been overwhelmingly positive. The opening song was AMAZING! Such a fun element to add to the gala!! All our guests loved dancing along with the Orchestra throughout the night, as usual! You guys are so wonderful. Look forward to working together again in the future!
The gala was an outstanding celebration of the vibrant organizations that bring arts, culture, and heritage alive in central Iowa. Your efforts helped to top our guests’ expectations and make sure that the Bravo Gala remains central Iowa’s premiere event.
Once again, your orchestra provided the perfect accompaniment to the evening, ensuring our guests had an amazing time dancing the night away! I am absolutely certain that the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra is a key ingredient to the event’s success and we are grateful for your 10 years of commitment to being part of our celebration.
Thank you again to you and all of the musicians that made last Saturday a truly sparkling event!
Bravo Des Moines Gala - 2/6/2016
Ken, you have been responsible for making the Bravo gala our community's premier event, in large part.
I know I speak on behalf of our community when I say, "thank you."
Last night, I tried to keep track of how many people told me that the band was fantastic. I lost count at 200. Those who had not heard you previously were in awe. The depth of the orchestra is remarkable. When we left at midnight, the crowd was over 300 strong. This is the only event where that many people are still having fun at that hour. The passion with which all of you perform is really what makes our gala so amazing.
Thank you so much for everything.
UNICEF Gala - Message of Hope (Four Seasons) – 4/17/2015
Thank you so much for the incredible performance on Friday at our Hope Gala! You and the band are so fun, professional and talented! Our dance floor was packed more than it’s ever been before, you did a terrific job MCing between our event elements, and we’re getting rave reviews from our guests.
I hope to have the pleasure of working with you again.
Chicago Lights Gala of Hope – 3/6/2015
You smashed it again! I’m so thankful for the way you put that extra something out for us. Just awesome!
Stacy Jackson, Executive DirectorBear Necessities Gala – 2/28/2015
Evolution was amazing at our Bear Tie Ball! The band was so flexible and easy going and happy to jump in if I needed impromptu announcements. The crowd loved the band and was dancing down to the last second.
Everyone had such a great time thanks to them!
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Illinois Gala – 2/21/2015
We cannot thank you enough for partnering with us! Everyone has wonderful things to say about you and Evolution! All of your belief in our kids and our mission came through in your energy at our gala. Thank you!!
-Stella Boyle, ChairpersonBravo Greater Des Moines 10th Anniversary Gala – 2/7/2015
Thank you for your support of Bravo’s 10th Anniversary Awards Gala. The work of you and your professional staff were essential to making this event a success and a night to remember for the sell-out crowd of 1,500 people who joined the party.
The gala was an outstanding celebration of the vibrant organizations that bring arts, culture, and heritage alive in central Iowa. Your efforts helped to top our guests’ expectations and make sure that the Bravo Gala remains central Iowa’s premiere event.
Once again, your orchestra provided the perfect accompaniment to the evening, ensuring our guests had an amazing time dancing the night away! I am absolutely certain that the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra is a key ingredient to the event’s success and we are grateful for your 10 years of commitment to being part of our celebration.
Thank you again to you and all of the musicians that made last Saturday a truly sparkling event!